The Iranian Navy traditionally located in the shallow waters of the Persian Gulf, has always been the smallest of the country's military forces.

[1] With the Pahlavi dynasty in the 20th century that Iran began to consider building a strong navy to project its strength into the Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean.

The modern navy of Iran was born in 1885, when steamers Persepolis and Susa were commissioned into service in the Persian Gulf.

IIN ships seized Abu Musa and the Greater and Lesser Tunbs on 30 November 1971 after British forces withdrew from the region.

From then on, the United States imposed economic sanctions and an arms embargo, severely hampering Iran's ability to maintain and equip its navy.

During this time, battles fought with Iraq and the United States, also degraded Iran's conventional naval assets.

In place of western armaments, Iran has purchased equipment and weaponry from Russia, China, and North Korea, as well as engaging in naval exercises with Pakistan and India.

[citation needed] On 22 February 2011, two Islamic Republic of Iran Navy ships entered the Suez Canal, on a deployment reported to be a training mission to Latakia, Syria.

[citation needed] On 18 February 2012, Kharg entered the Suez Canal again, with one other Iranian warship, after briefly docking at Jeddah in Saudi Arabia.